Inside Amazon's maternity leave policy and other parental leave programmes

As part of our employee benefits package, Amazon provides support for all UK-based parents.

Our maternity leave, paternity leave, and all other parental leave policies and benefits are designed to support our employees as they navigate the early stages of parenthood.

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Here’s an inside look at Amazon's parental leave benefits including eligibility, processes, and supportive programmes to help new parents transition back to work.

Amazon has many different programmes, policies, and benefits available to accommodate the many different types of parents who work here. These range from our ‘Amazon Pregnancy Leave’ policy to our ‘Amazon Parental Leave’ policy available to eligible secondary parents, adoptive parents, and intended parents through surrogacy.

Amazon's UK parental benefits package includes several options to accommodate different family situations. These benefits go beyond the statutory minimums required by UK law and are available to eligible employees regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or family structure.

The company offers different types of leave depending on your situation:

• Amazon Pregnancy Leave for pregnant employees (including those using IVF or serving as surrogates)
• Amazon Parental Leave for non-birth parents, adoptive parents, and intended parents through surrogacy

Parental leave support is aimed at assisting new parents trying to balance work and family life, allowing them to spend more time with their newest family member.

Amazon’s Pregnancy Leave policy applies to all Amazon employees in the UK who are pregnant, including employees who are surrogates and those pregnant through artificial insemination or IVF. It is applicable regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

In total, you can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Depending on the length of your continuous service with Amazon, you are eligible for a mix of Amazon Pregnancy Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, and unpaid leave during this time.

If you're pregnant and work at Amazon UK, here's what you can expect:

• Up to four weeks before your due date (pre-partum, optional)
• Between 10-16 weeks after birth (post-partum), depending on your length of service

Amazon Pregnancy Pay is 100% of an employee’s base salary and is inclusive of Statutory Maternity Pay. For employees with at least one continuous year of service before their due date, you can expect:

• Weeks 1-4 (pre-birth): Optional leave with 100% Amazon Pregnancy Pay
• Weeks 5-20 (post-birth): 100% Amazon Pregnancy Pay
• Weeks 21-39: Statutory Maternity Pay
• Weeks 40-52: Unpaid leave option

This flexible structure allows you to spend significant time with your new baby while receiving financial support during the critical early months.

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Amazon’s Paid Parental Leave is available to employees who are the non-birth parent of a newborn, adopted child, or intended parent through surrogacy. Employees are also eligible if they are adopting a child under the age of 18 through an adoption agency in the UK.

Amazon recognises that families come in many forms. If you're a non-birth parent, adoptive parent, or intended parent through surrogacy, Amazon's Paid Parental Leave provides:

• Up to six weeks of leave at 100% of your base salary
• Options to take leave continuously or split into two blocks
• Runs alongside statutory paternity leave when applicable
• Benefit level depends on length of continuous service

This policy applies to employees adopting children under 18 through a UK adoption agency and to non-birth parents welcoming a new child into their family.

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Shared Parental Leave is also available to eligible employees to give families more flexibility in how to share the childcare in the first year.

In the heart-breaking circumstances of pregnancy and infant loss, where applicable, employees are entitled to their 10-week post-partum leave, statutory maternity leave, and parental bereavement leave may also be available.

Welcoming a new baby or child into a family is life-changing, so we offer programmes and accommodations to help employees adjust more comfortably to their new work-life balance:

• Our Ramp Back programme offers parents eight consecutive weeks of flexibility and partial work hours as they readjust to work schedules as new parents. Ramp Back is designed to ease the transition back to work after a leave of absence for a pregnancy-related reason or to bond with a new child.
• Amazon provides accommodation for employees who wish to express and store breast milk while at work. Regardless of gender identity or presentation, Amazon will provide you with a reasonable amount of time and lactation room to express breast milk.
• Amazon offers a range of great benefits that support employees and eligible family members from your first day of employment such as; private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, paid breaks, and a company pension plan. Learn more about our employee benefits here.

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